“The Wheels On The Bus Go Round and Round,” and so do The Wheels In My Brain
Last week, The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19 million tons — they are slowly — from 2023 to 2029 — turning all buses in the state carbon-free. This includes electric buses and buses powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
This got me thinking.
I’ve never ridden the bus before.
I live in Los Angeles so I am no stranger to the concept of a bus. It is a part of Los Angeles culture, just as much as palm trees and plastic surgery are. I’ve just never been on one. Never had to, really. And yet I greeted this good news with unbridled enthusiasm and optimism.
Because this shift won’t just affect transportation, let alone buses. I’ve always cared about the Earth. I’ve always cared about stopping climate change, taking care of wildlife. To me, making sure people are at least aware of the many problems affecting our environment and well-being is as important as changing science and technology to fit our needs.
I live in California, so I know this for a fact — when California starts something, the other states finish it. Back in 2002, California set new standards limiting pollution from cars. It was the first to do so, and multiple other states (and Canada) have followed in California’s footsteps since. In 2016, we banned the single-use plastic bag, and Hawaii, Coral Gables in Florida, and Salem, Massachusetts have done the same. And when you think of where tech culture lives, you think of the whole of India and China…and Silicon Valley. California—the trendsetter state—holds as much weight as the nation.
I believe that this transition from dirty bus to clean bus will save us from ourselves, if we look through the literal to grasp the message behind the decision.
This isn’t only about buses, no. Don’t you see what happened? Even if only a room full of government employees saw the light, it should inspire us all to do the same. Mary D. Nichols, CARB chair, said via ca.gov, “Putting more zero-emission buses on our roads will also reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases, and provides cost savings for transit agencies in the long run.”
This journey can’t end here — we can’t start this movement towards awareness, and stop short of real change. Changing one type of vehicle in one state is not real change. Real change means a shift in human behavior as well as in the robots that we have driving us and cleaning our homes. Real change means not stopping. Not patting ourselves on the back for every minor accomplishment, when we have so much more to do.
It’s not enough, and it should come sooner. When we’re talking about climate change and wildlife protection, “Oh, by 2050 the UN’s IMO will cut their emissions from shipping in half,” “Oh, carbon pollution’s going to be cut by 25% by 2030” — that just doesn’t cut it. The 2030–2040 timelines to introduce new technologies and big changes need to be shortened to two years or even one year.
But this does prove something.
This shows…we began. We began the process, the long arc towards caring every day, and not just when action makes us look like “good people.”
Sometimes, beginning is enough. That isn’t the case this time. Changing one fleet won’t change how quickly emissions are still rising. We’re not done, until we’re done. But beginning is a sign that we’re ready.
I’ve never ridden the bus before.
But I might now.
To share the joy, to be a part of something good. To feel pride knowing, we made something better than it was.
And we helped the economy too.
